Incurable
by IzumiTheMoogle
Summary: Ever since Thriller Bark, Chopper's been having the most horrible nightmares... Zoro/Chopper Nakamaship -NOT yaoi!-


"_Zoro!!" Chopper cried out desperately, starting to shake as he always did when his crew members shed blood. Especially this much._

_Zoro, breathing in ragged and patchy breaths, slid down the base of a particularly snow-covered tree, sitting at the bottom and trying to regain the air he'd lost. He put an already blood-covered hand on the huge gaping wound on his chest that was currently almost oozing blood._

_Not only had Chopper and Zoro been separated from the others on a winter island they had just landed on, they had run into an unusually tough enemy that made Chopper think he really wouldn't make it. _

_But what he thought was nothing compared to the damage done to Zoro. As usual, the swordsman not only fought with everything he had, but spent a majority of the time defending Chopper from any attacks that he deemed particularly dangerous. And, to Chopper's horror, at the end of the battle, Zoro's wounds from Thriller Bark had been cut open. _

_The reindeer had immediately turned into Heavy Point, offering to help his comrade over to a place where they could be protected from the snow a little. He needed to patch Zoro's wounds as soon as possible before they became- no wait; they already WERE life-threatening! However, the man- much to Chopper's aggravation –refused, making to walk to a covered place on his own. _

_Chopper let out some breath in a huff, following Zoro closely in Heavy Point, ready to catch him if he fell. But if he even staggered, Chopper would immediately pick him up, no matter how much he protested. _

_So there they were. _

_Chopper, having just cried out to Zoro and receiving no response, was feeling his heart beat twenty times faster in his chest. He had already cleaned, bandaged the wound, then cleaned and bandaged it again just to make sure that every speck of blood was off of Zoro and every cut was covered. _

_So why was he getting worse!? _

_In desperate attempts to recover the swordsman, Chopper dug through his medical bag, pulling out anything and everything he found, going through every medical procedure he knew to achieve this. _

_But nothing was working!_

_Zoro's heart began to slow, and his eyes began to glaze over dully. Chopper started crying out of frustration, begging his friend to just stay with him. He stayed close to Zoro, crying over him while thoughts swam wildly in his mind._

"_What do I do?! What do I do?! I-I've tried everything I know!!" He thought miserably, "Why isn't anything working!! Please Zoro, please don't d-die!!" The appalling thought crossed his mind that he had failed. If he couldn't cure Zoro, then how could he become the best doctor in the world?!_

_Horrible terror washed over the reindeer as he noticed the chest he was crying on had stopped its slow movement. He shot his head up, and then froze. _

_Just like that, Zoro was gone._

"_ZOROOOOOOO!!!!!!"_

Chopper gasped, shooting up from his hammock with wide shaky eyes. Sweat dripped off his face, making his fur damp. As soon as he realized he was awake, the reindeer let go a long and wobbly sigh. That was the third time this week he had that dream… They had only just left Thriller Bark a few days ago, and memories of Zoro's wounds haunted his mind.

Chopper remembered how scared he was when he thought he might not have been able to save him. Luckily, a new Nakama and a party were able to get his mind off of it… For a little…

Instead of thinking about it during the day now, it disturbed the doctor in his sleep with that same dream of Zoro's wounds opening up and being completely incurable. That was almost worst. It was so real.

Suddenly, the reindeer lifted his head up and looked around the room full of pirates, scouring the place for a certain green head. He became terrified at first when he didn't see him, but then came to the realization that he must be on watch.

Chopper got up as quietly as he could and snuck out the door, careful to close it quietly so as to not wake anyone up. However, he forgot to take into account Zoro's quite acute hearing as he snuck out, jumping when he heard a voice:

"Chopper?" Came the swordsman's voice casually from the grassy deck, "What are you doing out here? Something wrong?" He yawned a little. Chopper never could figure out how he could sleep so much during the day and then actually be tired at night.

"N-No… Nothing's wrong…" Chopper replied mousely. He walked down to the deck by Zoro, who was lying down with his head rested against the railing, arms crossed behind his head. He looked at the doctor curiously, "C-Could I sit down with you?"

"Yeah, sure," Zoro nodded. Chopper sat down next to him timidly.

Unfortunately, he also forgot to account for Zoro's other acute sense: telling when something was wrong with his Nakama.

"… What's wrong?" He asked.

"Huh?" Chopper almost looked alarmed as he glanced up at the man, like he had been found out for a crime of some sort.

"By the look on your face, I can tell something's bothering you," Zoro continued, not even looking at Chopper, "Besides, you wouldn't come out here if everything was fine."

"I-I just…" Chopper fumbled with his words, trying to figure out how to string this sentence along properly without just saying 'I keep thinking of you dying', "I had… A bad dream…"

Zoro looked at him strangely, seeing him fidget with his hooves. Judging by that, the bad dream probably involved him in some way or another.

"Dreams are just that, aren't they?" He said suddenly, making Chopper look up at him questioningly. Zoro continued, "They aren't real," He said this succinctly, like he really wanted Chopper to get that last concept.

The reindeer looked across the sea, nodding slowly to what Zoro said, "Y-Yeah… You're right."

Suddenly, he thought back to his dream, to when Zoro… Died. He gulped down a lump in his throat, feeling the beginnings of tears in his eyes. It may not have been real, but it _felt_ real. Chopper sincerely felt like he was losing his Nakama.

"Z-Zoro…" He muttered, trying to blink back the tears he knew were coming.

"Hm?"

"I-In my dream… We… We were in a f-fight, and there was n-no one else around. We won, b-but, you were badly injured," He sobbed, "Y-Your wounds f-form Thriller Bark opened back up…!!" This made Zoro's eyes narrow, "A-And I c-couldn't help you!" The tears were coming almost full force now, "I-I tried to save you, b-but nothing was w-working!! I tried… Everything I knew…" He pulled his large red hat down over his face, "But… B-But you…."

Zoro put an arm around Chopper's shoulders before he could finish. He already knew what he was going to say, and it would be less painful for Chopper if he didn't say it. The doctor was surprised at the contact. He looked up at Zoro with a tear-streaked face.

"Chopper…" He sighed, looking at his friend earnestly, "Don't worry. I won't let anything like that happen," He smiled, tightening his grip on the reindeer's shoulder momentarily, "I promise."

Chopper looked up at Zoro unbelievingly for a moment, and then smiled with relief, burying his face into the man's shirt, still crying. Zoro hadn't let go of him yet.

"… Are you alright now?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah," Chopper said, pulling his head up and wiping his nose with a hoof, "I am…"

"That's good," Zoro smirked once before looking back out onto the ocean, putting his arms back around his head, followed by Chopper, as the dim light of the sun started to shimmer on the horizon.

Chopper continued to smile, staring at the horizon with a gleam in his eye. Zoro was right; dreams weren't real. And besides, he had promised him that nothing like that would ever happen. That was what relieved Chopper the most.

Because when Zoro made a promise, he would never ever break it.


End file.
